CAMPAIGNERS battling controversial plans to prevent people spending a penny by axing public loos have handed over a 1,100-name petition to council bosses.

Steven Walker launched the We Want to Wee petition after Tendring Council revealed plans to pull the chain on ten of its WCs across the district in a bid to save £100,000 a year.

Yesterday he presented a 1,100-name petition to council chairman Mark Platt.

Mr Walker, from Walton, said: "This is one of the biggest petitions ever collected in Tendring with over 1,100 signatures.

"It shows the strength of feeling against the plan.

"Walton and Frinton residents are very clear they are not prepared to pay extra local taxes in order to maintain their loos in Old Road, Frinton and Mill Lane, Walton.

"What we want is Tendring Council to continue to provide all the toilets and make sure they are kept in a decent condition and fully disabled accessible.”

Another petition with more than 1,000 signatures was handed to the council’s cabinet earlier this summer on behalf of residents wanting to save the Garden Road toilets in Jaywick.

The council wants to close almost a quarter of its 41 public lavvies.

The move will save £60,000 this year and then £100,000 a year.

Other toilets facing the axe include Ipswich Road in Holland-on-Sea, the Westcliff gents, High Street car park and Magdalen Green toilets in Clacton.

Council bosses have described some of the existing toilets as "squalid, horrid little buildings".

They say reducing the total number of WCs will enable them to refurbish those which survive the cull.

Town councillors have expressed an interest in taking over the running of threatened toilets in Frinton and Walton in a bid to save them.